When Ankh saw the disgust in Porlyusica's eyes, his first feeling was irritation.
But then he remembered this lady had a peculiar temperament - she utterly detested the scent of humans.
Though it sounded... utterly ridiculous, it seemed to be true.
Even the Master was making eye signals to Ankh from the side, telling him not to offend this irritable old woman.
With important matters weighing on his mind, Ankh quickly brought Porlyusica to the medical room.
Seeing the three unconscious people on the beds, Porlyusica frowned slightly.
She walked to the bedside, took out her portable medical kit, and examined them one by one.
Ankh and Makarov waited obediently nearby for the results.
After a short while, Porlyusica put away her bottles and jars containing various strange potions.
Looking down at Makarov with a stern expression, she said: "Cana is fine, just has too much on her mind. Let her sleep a while longer."
"Erza's Magic Power has been almost completely drained. I've replenished it first, but her condition is more critical and needs regular monitoring. As for Laxus... all his injuries are non-lethal. Whoever hurt him clearly didn't want to take his life, so he'll recover just fine."
Hearing this, Makarov finally relaxed but Ankh quickly grabbed Porlyusica's cloak and said.
"Lady Porlyusica, could you help with one more thing?"
Porlyusica shuddered and mercilessly slapped away Ankh's hand from her cloak while shouting angrily.
"I hate humans! Don't touch me!"
Ankh obediently withdrew his hand.
Porlyusica, this old woman whose words never matched her true feelings, snorted and said.
"What help?!"
Makarov pointed at Erza on the bed and explained on his behalf.
"He wants you to give Erza a thorough examination, including any physical abnormalities and such."
"Erza?" Porlyusica frowned but didn't ask further questions.
She picked up her tools and approached Erza again.
After a short while, Porlyusica used a magical device to extract a small amount of blood from Erza's body.
Holding it up and examining it carefully for some time, she said.
"Nothing unusual."
'Nothing?'
Ankh quickly asked: "Are you sure there's nothing strange about Erza's bloodline?"
Could she be wrong after examining it so carefully?
Porlyusica's face immediately darkened.
Makarov quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Since Erza can perform Unison Raid with Ankh, he suspects her physique might be special. Don't take it personally~"
The fact that Erza and this new S-Class Mage could perform Unison Raid was indeed strange.
In Makarov's mind, while Ankh and Erza had a good relationship, it shouldn't have reached the level of understanding needed for Unison Raid and combined attacks.
Moreover, their Magics were completely unrelated - one was Requip, the other was Gravity...
While Ankh and Makarov were still puzzled, Porlyusica stared sharply at Ankh's face as a strange thought suddenly occurring to her.
"Young man, give me a sample of your blood too," Porlyusica said seriously, looking at him.
Ankh was momentarily stunned, then obediently extended his hand, letting her prick his fingertip and draw blood.
His physique and bloodline were indeed special, but they shouldn't cause any commotion.
Besides, everyone here was on his side.
Makarov shamelessly leaned close to Porlyusica, grinning like a little kid as he asked.
"What's wrong, Porlyusica? Is there something wrong with Ankh's body?"
"Hah." Porlyusica's single laugh sent a shiver down Makarov's spine.
"Nothing's wrong. The Magic Power contained within him is frighteningly strong, and there's even a special mysterious energy nourishing him from within."
Hearing this, Makarov didn't pay it much mind—after all, none of this was bad news.
He then asked with some confusion, "Then what were you laughing about earlier?"
Porlyusica stared at him, her mouth opening and closing as she delivered even more shocking news.
"Ankh and Erza are blood-related. They are biological siblings."
Makarov's beard twitched as he shouted in horror.
"NANIIIIIIIIIII——"
Ankh was so startled he couldn't even close his mouth.
"Holy crap——"
What kind of soap opera plot is this? A family reunion?
Inside his body, Seram was thrown into complete disarray as he was furiously roaring.
[IMPOSSIBLE! BULLSHIT! How could a god possibly have siblings in a place like this!]
Porlyusica held up two blood samples and stated concisely.
"They are very likely direct relatives."
"And with blood ties, it's not impossible for their Magic Power to fuse and execute combined attacks."
Ankh's expression turned somewhat grim as he forced a smile.
"Um... Ms. Porlyusica, could there really be a mistake? We couldn't possibly be siblings, right..."
Porlyusica glared at him and said, "Although the current testing technology is crude, it can clearly show that you two are blood-related."
"If not siblings, are you saying you're her father?"
Ankh was stunned for a moment before hurriedly saying, "But I..."
Makarov finally managed to calm the turmoil in his heart, then smiled kindly at Ankh and said.
"Isn't this quite good? You've both gained another family member in this world."
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Ankh's mouth as he said, "But I have no memory of Erza at all."
"That's easily explained." Makarov shook his head seriously as he analyzed, "Erza said she was abandoned in a village. Perhaps you were separated before you could form memories?"
The problem was, his body contained an adult soul - how could he not remember...
[Could people with god's blood be detected as relatives? I've never heard of that...]
Seram muttered and grumbled in his mind, full of self-doubt, making Ankh afraid he might go mad.
Ankh couldn't tell the two elders the truth, so he could only nod to the Master to indicate he understood what to do.
Seeing Ankh nod, Makarov thought he had accepted his sister, immediately feeling deeply comforted.
In his own guild, the children he cherished had unexpectedly found their true family - nothing could make Makarov happier.
He looked at Ankh and then at Erza like a kindly grandfather.
Whether due to psychological factors or not, the more he looked, the more similar they appeared.
Ankh sat by Erza's bedside, tentatively reaching out to gently stroke the top of her head.
Erza, who had exhausted all her Magic Power and was feeling terrible throughout her body, tightly furrowed her brows.
In Erza's completely dark mental world, a warm light suddenly shone in, driving away much of the pain...
Watching Erza's gradually relaxing brow, Ankh thought in surprise: Could head pats actually have calming functions?
Earlier, Mirajane calm down immediately with a head pat, and now Erza falls asleep obediently with one.
'Damn, if I used this ability to open a psychological clinic, I could definitely make good money!'
The two comically mismatched elders at the door watched Ankh lost in wild thoughts by Erza's bedside, then silently retreated from the room.
Makarov's aged face was full of smiles, his tone carrying a hint of relief.
"Erza has always been a lonely child. With Ankh, her biological older brother, by her side, perhaps things will get better for her in the future."
Porlyusica looked behind with complex emotions in her eyes and sighed.
"After being separated for so many years, even if they're siblings, how are they any different from strangers?"
Makarov stared at her with solemn eyes, speaking earnestly.
"I believe human bonds cannot be severed by time!"
"Moreover, she's a child of this guild, a child of Fairy Tail! None of them will remain lonely forever!"
Porlyusica stared at the unusually serious Makarov for a long time before finally looking away and murmuring softly.
"You haven't changed at all."
Makarov playfully extended his hand in a V-sign while laughing: "If I can stay with these kids forever, I believe I'll never change!"
Porlyusica smiled faintly without speaking.
What Ankh didn't know was that outside the infirmary door today, two elderly people's brilliant second spring was slowly awakening...
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